Slice Of Normal
by WalkingInSlowMotion
Summary: Elena wanted normal, and that's what she got when she moves out of Mystic Falls. But, her memories haunt her, and a piece of her past comes back to talk with her. Elena/OC, mentions of Delena/Stelena.


**A/N: **Just another one-shot. I had this little idea in my head, and I guess it just took form. I was always a fan of the friendship between Elena and Damon, though the show is heading down the romantic path for them. I'm still warming to the idea of Elena/Damon as a couple, seeing as my heart is still set on the Stefan/Elena thing. Anyway, enough of my ramblings.

**Warnings: **Drinking and a non-graphic sexual situation. Rated T.

**Summary: **After everything that went down with Klaus and the disaster that came with him, Elena moved out of Mystic Falls and wanted to set out to make a different life. But, her past will always haunt her. Especially when a piece of her past catches up with her by the name of Damon Salvatore. Elena/OC, mentions of Delena and Stelena.

* * *

><p><strong>Little Slice Of Normal.<strong>

"_Well, I don't know, but I've been told._

_You never slow down, you never grow old._

_I'm tired of screwin' up, tired of going down._

_Tired of myself, tired of this town."_

* * *

><p>Her loft is large, empty. Only a few pieces of furniture in her new home, a sofa, table, and television. A bed and dresser in her bedroom. It left the loft with lots of space, making it seem bigger than it really was.<p>

Elena Gilbert closed the door behind her, placing her bag down on the floor as she walked into the room. Elena figured that the less things she had in her new space, the less of a chance of her remembering things. Things that she was trying to repress into the back of her mind.

When she left Mystic Falls, she only left a note addressed to Damon. She had told him that since things were calm now that the whole Klaus thing had settled down, she was going to leave. She didn't want to put more people in danger. She saw herself as the centre to all the trouble Mystic Falls had gotten, and just wanted to get as far away from the town as she possibly could. She told Damon to tell her friends and the people she cared about goodbye and asked him not to come find her.

That had been two years ago, and her life was starting to look...normal. She's working a steady job, and has even thought about dating again. Maybe she would find a nice, human, guy and settle down. But, her past stops her.

When ever she sees brown hair or green eyes, she thinks of Stefan. She thinks about the first night they had together, his smile, the love she had for him. She remembers Klaus, and Stefan becoming a monster, the coldness of his voice. And, most importantly, she remembers Wickery Bridge.

Elena sees the smirks of some of the men at the bars that her co-workers take her after work, and she remembers Damon. She remembers how much she hated him in the beginning, the one thing between her and Stefan. Then, she thinks about how he had turned out to be her best friend for a long time, she remembers the werewolf bite and her "pity" kiss. She remembers the real kiss.

Then, it all starts to come back. She remembers her aunt Jenna, Jeremy, Bonnie, Caroline, Alaric, Matt, the whole gang. Then, she feels sick and ends up just going back home and turns on the TV and watches until two in the morning, afraid to sleep.

But, she's gotten better at repressing memories. She hopes that one day she will stop seeing Stefan's face in her co-worker, Lyle's, face. And maybe she will be able to walk into a bar without remembering Damon. She will be able to look at a blonde cheerleader and not see Caroline, or Bonnie when she sees a head-strong woman.

Maybe, eventually, they will become names without faces. She had wanted to forget, and that's just what she's going to do.

* * *

><p>It's a Friday night, her co-worker, Sally, is taking her out to the local bar that they drink at, as they usually do every Friday. Elena's smiling a real smile for once in a long time, laughing at something her friend had said about her husband.<p>

"So, you just left him up there?" Elena asked, still chuckling as Sally nodded her head.

"I did. I mean, I did let him down eventually, but he pissed me off." she said with a shrug, walking into the busy bar. Elena let out a sigh, the familiar atmosphere hitting her senses. She relaxed slightly, looking around the bar.

"So, why don't you get us a table and I'll start us off with a few beers." Sally said, Elena nodding as she took a seat in one of the booths. Her brown eyes looked around the bar again, a small smile on her face.

This was nice. This was normal, and that's what she wanted. But, there was something off about tonight for some reason. Elena let out a sigh, leaning back in the booth as she waited for Sally.

It was just a feeling, she was just making things up. It had been three years, nobody was going to come after her. Still, she put a shot of vervain in her coffee every morning. Elena blamed it on a force of habit, that she was just doing it to be safe.

Not that anybody was after her.

But, Elena still scanned the bar with her eyes again, taking in the faces. Some familiar, some new. She couldn't pick out anybody that she recognized; at least, the people the didn't want to see. She relaxed slightly, her back resting against the padding of the back of the booth.

She often imagined what she would do if any of them actually found her. If Damon came to see her, bright blue eyes, leather jacket, and smirk. She had to remember that it had been three years, and that maybe he had changed. Maybe he cut his hair, changed his style of clothing.

Stefan was usually the one she thought about the most, though. She couldn't help it, she missed him. Loved him still, even. Though, he had changed so drastically. Would he still be the man that drove her down to Wickery Bridge? Or would he be the man that looked at her with pain in his eyes when she told him about kissing his brother? Would he be the Stefan she fell in love with in the beginning?

And, sometimes, she thinks about Klaus. What if he came to find her? She felt that spike of fear she got when she thought about him, as brief as those moments are. Would he want to hurt her? Use her for more hybrids? Elena had to remind her that she was safe, if Klaus wanted to continue his hybrid project, he would have found her years ago. She still couldn't stop thinking about what would happen. Her stupid what if game she plays when laying in bed at nights where the moon is full.

"Elena!" A cheerful voice cut across her chain of thought, making her jump. She let out a breath when she saw a pair of green eyes looking back at her, her heart beating hard in her chest. She let out a relieved sigh when she noticed that the man in front of her wasn't Stefan.

"Lyle." she said, slightly out of breath, "hey."

"What? You guys go out drinking and don't tell me?" Lyle asked, leaning against the booth. Elena chuckled, giving him a friendly smile.

"You can join us, if you like." she said, gesturing to the empty bench across the booth. "I'm sure Sally won't mind."

Lyle took a seat across from her, leaning back with his hands on the table. "You looked zoned out, I thought I would try and wake you up."

Elena's smile faltered slightly, she laughed then. "Long week."

"Tell me about it." Lyle said, glancing around the bar. "What are we drinking?"

"Beers, I believe." Elena said, glancing over the bar where Sally was finally returning with their drinks. Lyle smiled at her when she approached, placing the two bottles down on the table.

"I figured you would show up sooner or later." Sally said, Lyle moving over to let her sit down.

"Elena was the one who invited me to join you two." he replied, giving her a smirk. Sally rolled her eyes, taking a drink from her beer bottle. Elena started on her's, tipping the bottle back and took a swing, the bitter liquid going down easy. After months of Friday night drinks, she had become pretty accustomed to the taste.

Elena listened in and out on the conversation between Lyle and Sally, her mind drifting off more than she would like. She just couldn't shake that feeling like she was being watched, making her glance around a little more than she would want to admit. But, the more alcohol she took down, the less and less that feeling occurred. She started to loosen up, throwing in little jokes into the conversation that Sally laughed a little too much at.

Elena soon found herself walking out of the bar at about eleven-thirty. She wasn't walking straight, her legs seeming to want to cross over each other in mid-stride. Lyle walked with her, the more sober one of her and Sally. He actually didn't seem drunk at all, offering them both a ride home. Elena just gave him a goofy smile and reminded him that Sally was married. Lyle only laughed at the three of them got into his car and started to drive home.

After Sally was dropped off, Lyle walked Elena to her door. Elena turned to face him, going to thank him for being an awesome friend. But, something stopped her. She didn't know if it was a trick of the light or the beers, but Lyle suddenly looked so much like Stefan.

"You okay?" Lyle asked, placing a hand on her shoulder as Elena just stared at him with a bit of a surprised look. Elena found herself staring at his mouth, wanting to lean forward and press her lips against his. She found herself placing a hand on the crook of his neck and pressed a light kiss to his lips, closing her eyes. She felt Lyle place a hand on her cheek, so gently. She started to kiss him harder, running a hand through his hair.

She missed this, just spending years scared to be close to someone. She waited so long, and she was so happy to finally be doing it. She was thrilled to be kissing him again, she had missed Stefan so much.

Suddenly, it felt as if someone had slapped her in the face. A coldness washing over her as she pulled away from Lyle as if he had burned her. He looked a little confused, Elena placing a hand against her lips.

She didn't want to be kiss Stefan, she wanted to be able to be with someone without thinking of him. She quickly muttered a sorry, opening her door and closed it quickly behind her before Lyle could make a reply.

Suddenly feeling very sober, she walked into the bathroom and splashed her face. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes glossy. She was drunk, that had to be the case. Elena had gotten so much better at repressing her memories and it was the alcohol that was causing them to come flooding back.

Needless to say, she spent the night on her couch with the TV on a sports channel. She just didn't want to be reminded of anything anymore.

* * *

><p>Saturday morning was horrible. Her eyes were throbbing from the sleepless night, her stomach emptying it's contents whenever she ate something. By afternoon she was able to keep down the food she ate and Elena was able to get a small nap in.<p>

At about noon, there was a knock on her door. Elena pulled herself out of the kitchen chair and walked over to the door. It was most likely Lyle, and she was running through a bunch of excuses to tell him about why she kissed and ran.

Elena pulled the door open, expecting to see Lyle standing there. But, her brown eyes connected with a pair of blue ones that were all too familiar. He still wore the same leather jacket, his "bad boy" persona still in place. He looked a little surprised to see her also, Elena kind of standing there not knowing what to say.

"Damon?" she finally got out after a few more moments of awkward staring. "W-What are you doing here?"

Damon shrugged, "I heard you were in town, thought I would stop by."

"You're not allowed to stop by." Elena said a bit too harshly, but she had told him not to come find her once she left. Damon hadn't changed a day, as to be expected, and he still had the air of arrogance and his swagger.

"Oh, right, that note." Damon said, smirking at her. "A letter for the people you care about to tell them that you are leaving. You couldn't have said it face to face?"

"I wanted to get out as fast as I could, Damon." Elena said, glaring at him. "I told you not to come find me, so you really shouldn't be here."

"Well, as you seem to know me all too well, you should know that I tend to not listen to what other people tell me to do." Damon said, "I was your friend once, remember? So what's with the hostility?"

Elena felt a little hurt, Damon was still her friend as much as she didn't want to admit it. There was also quite a bit of love for him in her still, too. She shook her head, letting out a sigh.

"What are you doing here, Damon?" she asked again, "if you are asking me to return to Mystic Falls, you already know the answer."

"Look, why don't you let me in and we can have a chat." Damon said, Elena trying to keep a straight face.

"If I let you in, do you promise you won't just drop by when you feel like it?" Elena asked, Damon giving her his trademark Damon smirk.

"I'll try and call first." he said, leaning against the door frame. Elena gave him a hard look, but invited him in after a few moments of reading him to tell if he was telling a lie.

Damon walked into her home, taking a look around. "So, riding solo I see."

"Yeah." Elena said, walking into her kitchen to finish her coffee. Damon took a seat down across from her. He leaned back in the car as Elena took a sip from her drink.

"You really caused some problems with you leaving." Damon said, Elena letting out a sigh through her nose.

"I figured I would, but I had to try this." Elena said, placing her mug down on the table.

"Are you enjoying it?" Damon asked, Elena nodded her head absentmindedly. She wasn't enjoying it as much as she wanted to, really. Her memories kept jabbing at her, making her hurt and feel like she had betrayed everybody she cared about.

"I am." she said as convincingly as she could. "I've good a good paying job, a few friends, a nice place to live."

"That's good to hear, then." Damon said, thought he sounded like he thought the exact opposite.

"How..." Elena started, pausing. She wondered if she wanted to know the answer. But she felt the words slip out before she could stop them. "How is everyone? Are they okay?"

Damon nodded, "as okay as they can be." he said, "Stefan's back on the Bambi diet, though he's still a little on the dangerous side. But, he's on his way. Caroline's left, she said that someone had told her that there was some sort of beauty in the world, and she wanted to see it for herself. Or, some bullshit like that. Tyler left with her. Bonnie, Stefan, Alaric and I are still around. We haven't really seen or heard from Klaus for over a year now, though I don't really trust that he's gone for good."

Elena nodded, taking that in. Damon looked at her, Elena trying to look at anywhere but him.

"Mystic Falls is safe." Damon said, "your friends miss you."

"Damon." Elena started, voice sharp. "I can't go back, I don't want to be part of that life. I have a new life going for me here that I have barely started."

"You really think that you can just repress memories and live the life that you thought you would before you met Stefan?" Damon asked, "no matter how hard you try, that life is still part of you. Hell, you're supernatural yourself. You don't belong here."

"Yes, I do." Elena said, "I'm still settling into this, and you just want me to return. I'm the centre of this thing with Klaus and everything else. I'm better off as far away from that town as I can get."

Damon nodded, "well, your friends do miss you. And, to be honest, this whole thing is very cowardly of you."

Elena frowned at that, she let out a sigh. "I think you should leave." she said, giving Damon a hard look. "You just want to walk in here and screw up everything I have going for me, so, please, leave. I told you to not come find me, you should have honoured that."

Damon nodded, standing. "Well, I guess I'll be waiting at home for when you come to your senses and decide to return. But, Stefan and I won't wait around forever."

"Then, I would suggest you stop waiting for me." Elena said, standing from the table as she crossed her arms. Damon only gave her a look before he was gone, leaving Elena to fall back into the chair. She closed her eyes finally and let the tears fall. Her heart was hurting, but she wasn't going to go back. She would just put everybody in danger.

Elena ended up calling Lyle, asking him to come over. She didn't want to be alone anymore.

* * *

><p>Elena lay awake, her room dark. The sheets covering her naked body and Lyle sleeping soundly beside her, his chest bare. She wasn't sure why she did what she did, but it didn't help ease her mind or the pain in her heart.<p>

_You don't belong here. _Damon's voice whispered in her mind, causing Elena to stare off into space for a few moments.

_Yes, I do. _She thought to herself as she glanced at Lyle.

_You liar. _Her voice whispered back to her.


End file.
